byFather Robert M. O'Grady Pilot Staff
Father Richard M. Erikson Courtesy photo
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Born in Boston on Oct. 24, 1958, Father Richard M. Erikson was raised in Watertown and attended and graduated from its public schools. He is one of the four children of the late Herbert and Elizabeth (Clahane) Erikson. Following graduation from Watertown High School, he entered St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.
His seminary formation was at St. John, Brighton, both a master of arts and a master in divinity in 1985. Bernard Cardinal Law ordained him to the priesthood at Holy Cross Cathedral on June 8, 1985, the first class of priests the Boston's archbishop had ordained since he had become a member of the College of Cardinals two weeks prior.
Father Erikson had served as a deacon at St. Anthony of Padua, Allston, prior to his priestly ordination.
During his seminary formation, he had also entered the Chaplain Candidate Corps of the United States Air Force (1982). During his four years of office candidacy, he served at Sawyer Air Force Base, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula city of Marquette; and March Air Force Base, near Riverside, Calif.
His first assignment after ordination was as a parochial vicar at St. Mary Parish, Lynn, serving there until 1988, during which time he was also a reserve chaplain at Pease Air Force Base, Portsmouth, N.H.
In 1988, he was assigned to graduate studies at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, receiving a master's degree in sociology in 1990 and a doctorate in 1992. During his studies, he lived at St. Monica Parish, Santa Monica, Calif.
On his return to the archdiocese in 1992, he was appointed to the faculty of St. John Seminary, serving there until 1999. During these years, he was also reserve chaplain at Hurlburt Field, near Pensacola in Florida's Panhandle.
Released from the archdiocese in 1999 for full-time service in the Air Force Chaplain Corps, he subsequently served at Air Force installations in the United States and abroad; among them were Scott AFB, in Central Illinois; Andersen AFB, Yigo, Guam; returning stateside, he served in officer training at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Ala.; and then at Air Force Headquarters at Pentagon, with a several month side assignment to Balad Air Base in Iraq in 2004. His Air Force leadership responsibilities continued with a posting to a command at Wright-Patterson AFB, near Dayton, Ohio.
In June 2006, Cardinal O'Malley asked him to return to the archdiocese to assume the role of vicar general/moderator of the curia of the archdiocese, following the transfer of Bishop Richard Lennon to the Diocese of Cleveland as its 10th bishop. He often joked that he was on his way to heaven, he had been slated to be chaplain at Hickam AFB Joint Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when he was asked to go in a more northerly direction.
In that position, he not only oversaw the day operations of the central administration of the archdiocese in the name of the archbishop, but in virtue of that office was either ex officio or by appointment a member of seemingly endless boards, commissions, committees, etc. Among those were presbyteral council, consultors, clergy personnel, archdiocesan finance, archdiocesan pastoral, seminary boards, etc.
During those years, he was also able to serve in Air Force assignments back in Ohio, then in Florida, and at Robins AFB south of Macon, Ga.
His Air Force service was consistently recognized as he was promoted from second lieutenant (1982) to first lieutenant (1986) to captain (1990); major (1997); lieutenant colonel (2002); and colonel (2007).
He was granted a sabbatical in September 2011 and returned to the archdiocese as pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Sudbury, in 2012, where he served for one term until 2018. He was also assistant to the chief of chaplains at the Pentagon, and in 2012, was promoted to Brigadier General. He was separated, or as the military nicely calls retired, in 2017, and served for several months as administrator of St. Mary Parish, Winchester.
Finally, in November 2023, he was granted senior priest retirement status.
Father Erikson lives in and enjoys a well-earned retirement in Florida. He still is able and willing to assist in parish life in several parishes of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.